In Philadelphia, a photographer documents horrors of gun violence

This summer, photojournalist Kevin Cook attended a vigil for Terrence "Bird" Cox, a 25-year-old who was shot dead near his house on Hicks Street in North Philadelphia. While there, he watched Cox's brothers walk down the street to the spot where their loved one was killed. The scene stuck with Cook. 

"It was hard to make pictures because of how emotional the scene was," recalled the Philadelphia native and one of the country's top young photographers. "But I kept telling myself that someone really needs to see this to understand what this has done to this family."

Cook sees the beauty of North Philadelphia, its murals and architecture, but he's also seen the sadness. Already this year, more than 200 people have been killed in Philadelphia – putting it among the country's most dangerous cities with more murders per capita than any other city its size. But the violence is about much more than numbers. Using Instagram, Cook documents the people and the pain. 

"I'm really hoping that these photographs can serve as a reminder of the horrors of gun violence for the youth of Philadelphia," Cook said. "We hear so much about statistics –his many people were shot and this many people were killed – but when people see a photograph they can't deny that." 

America Tonight met the photographer, as well as the families, friends and survivors of gun violence he has documented. 

Explore more of Cook's photography at KevinCookPhoto.com.